Against All Odds
by jazzhands14
Summary: STING-The Society for the Training and Investigation of a Next Level Generation; only the truth behind STING is far more sinister, and the fate of everybody suddenly rests in the hands of ten individuals. Ten men and women whose lives STING has marred already, who have everything to lose, who must fight against all odds.
1. Prologue

_**Hi everybody! So in keeping with my running theme of writing styles, I thought maybe I might tackle a new adventure genre, while keeping the musical element. I'm not sold on whether I'll continue this or not, but it could be fun if there is enough demand for it! Also I'm going to try and feature more characters in some capacity, and will try not to leave anybody out. Don't worry if a character you like isn't in this section, this is just the prologue. It's a taste to see whether you guys want me to continue it or not!**_

_**I have big plans for characters like Brit, Rachel, Mercedes and the others that aren't here as well, including a significant amount of stuff with Cooper Anderson and Sebastian as well. **_

_**Also, if I continue it, the songs will be easier to follow. I know this one is confusing because it's a glee song being covered by different Glee characters, but future music would be easier to imagine! I'll try to avoid using Glee songs if I do continue it, so if you DO like this, PLEASE review telling me to continue! **_

**_Disclaimer: I don't own Glee, or any of the music depicted in this story. _**

**Against All Odds**

_-Sometimes, the hardest journeys; are the ones you take within-_

_**Book One**_

_**-An Origin Story-**_

* * *

**Special**

The rain was deafening as it roared in her ears. She was crying as she sprinted, clutching the bundle against her chest, petrified that she might drop it. Thunder roared in the sky and lightning illuminated the forest around her.

She screamed as her foot slipped in the mud and she fell onto a fallen tree. She twisted hard, and her shoulder smashed against the bark. It might have broken, but she didn't have time to register the pain! This wasn't about her! It was about the children!

Lightning flashed again and she saw the entrance to the mine through a dense clump of foliage. She allowed a smile to flit across her face, but only for a moment.

Leaping through the brambles, she didn't pause to untangle her clothing, or ensure that she didn't catch the thorns. Her dress ripped across the side, and a deep scratch opened up on one arm, but she was so close! She was almost there! That was all that mattered!

She froze and her eyes widened as a pair of headlights lit her up.

"Lisa, run!" A man yelled from the mouth of the mine. She turned away from the jeep that had appeared as soldiers started to pile out of it, and darted past the man at the entrance. He grabbed her by the arm and hurried her along through the passage.

"Where are the others?" She asked breathlessly as they rounded a bend.

"They're already there, we're just waiting on you!" He said urgently. "The Director has already set up the passages, it's like a whole new laboratory down there!"

The sounds of the soldiers echoed after them, shouting and running, and she redoubled her efforts, pumping her legs faster and faster, ignoring the burning in her lungs as she did. They turned the corner and her spirits soared.

"The lift!" She cried out, diving in. She mistook her momentum and turned at the last second to smash her back into the rock wall on the other side, protecting the bundle in her arms.

"Damn it, be careful Lisa!" He snapped, punching in numbers into the keypad. The cage closed as other men clambered into view around the Artied. One reached out and grabbed the cage, but her partner didn't hesitate to tear a gun from his belt loop and fire point black.

The last thing Lisa saw before the lift had sunk completely into the shaft was the man's body hitting the ground.

* * *

The stage was dark.

The stage was empty.

The stage didn't exist.

Footsteps echoed across the black floorboards, clicking as a spot lit up to the far left of the stage. A figure entered the light; dressed in dress pants and shining shoes, with a green barista's apron over a collared shirt and hat. He smiled.

Kurt.

"The first step of a journey is often impossible to recognize." He said. "Sometimes you don't even realize what you've gotten yourself into, until you're dead in the middle of it."

He paused and frowned.

"Maybe dead was the wrong word to use there."

"But he's not wrong." A female voice chimed in as a light on the other side of the stage sparked into existence. A stunning girl, short, but beautiful. She had thin limbs and curls the color of straw that floated around her striking face. She wore a black pencil skirt with a blue shirt overtop with a three-quarter sleeve. Her heels matched her shirt.

Quinn.

"Sometimes along that journey, you learn things." Her smiled faltered and she looked off to the side. "About others…"

She looked up once more.

"About yourself." She nodded sadly. "Sometimes the hardest journeys…"

"…are the ones you take within." Another voice piped up and Quinn turned as a spotlight appeared diagonal to Kurt, one spot closer to center stage. A smiling biracial boy with an angular face in a zip-up blue sweater and a striped t-shirt wandered into view.

Jake.

"But it's the people you meet along the way, that make it all worth while. All the pain, all the trauma, all the fear, because they bring more than that! They bring happiness, and joy…" He looked over as a spotlight appeared in front of Quinn. "…and love."

* * *

Lisa looked down at the bundle in her arms as her partner approached her and wrapped them both up in his arms.

"It's okay honey, we're going to get out of this." He said.

He was lying, and they both knew it.

"No." She said. "We aren't, but _they_ have to." She looked down into the smiling, bubbly, childish grin of the infant in her arms.

He pulled away and then allowed his forehead to lean against hers. He looked down at the infant and put on a strained smile.

"Hear that kiddo?" He asked in a whisper. "You have to survive this. You're the only one that can fix the mess."

"The mess I made." Lisa said bitterly, turning away.

"The mess we all made." He looked at her sternly. "They lured us in, Lisa, you can't blame yourself for this!"

She shook her head.

"I'm the one who stole these children from their parents! I'm a Nurse, Kevin, I'm supposed to help people!"

"You thought you were!" He assured her. "They told you that you would be saving the world if you did this! No more disease, ever, anywhere! How could you have known that they were lying! This will turn out okay!"

"No it won't!" Lisa shoved the baby into his arms and turned away. "No it won't because now their parents are dead, and they're…_diseased_!"

"They're not diseased!" Kevin insisted.

He sighed and looked down into the child's face.

"They're just…special."

* * *

"Those are the special people." A pretty girl with brown hair stepped into the light in a red jacket with a three-quarter sleeve, a floral shirt, and jeans. She smiled and spoke again in her lilting, birdlike voice.

Marley.

"The people that make you believe that you can go on, even when nothing else seems worth it, because _they _are. They are the reason you go on living, even when your entire life seems to be crumbling around you. They're still there; your loved ones, your family, your friends. They are the reason you keep fighting."

"One for all, and all for one." A spotlight appeared just in front of Jake; a sandy haired boy with a smile that could melt ice wandered into view. He wore a standard polo shirt over his jeans.

Ryder

"It may be cheesy, but it's true! If you have friends at your side, you can go as far as you want, and when you fall, you can trust them to pick you back up. As long as you're willing to let them…" He trailed off and looked over to the spotlight in front of Marley.

He gave a sad, meaningful look to the girl entering the light; she was a sad looking girl with long black hair and the stunning face of a girl who would never believe that she was as attractive as she was. She was dressed in business-casual attire with a melon-colored jacket and earrings made from buttons.

Tina.

"Even if they aren't there at your side though, it's thanks to them that you can make the toughest decisions." She reached up and wiped a tear out of her eye. "You can battle your own demons. You can find the strength to be brave, when all you want to do is run and hide. You can fight, for them, for yourself, for everybody that you've ever met, and everybody else that you haven't yet, and maybe… maybe even more so for the people that you'll never get to meet."

* * *

The lift shuddered once again as they hit the bottom. Lisa stepped out first, dreading whatever was to come. The children were nearby, she could hear some of them crying.

"What's going to happen to them?" Lisa asked as Kevin jogged up on her other side.

"The Director has a plan. He hasn't told me much, but whatever it is that can stop this war is down here, and that same thing, whatever it is, is the only thing that can keep them safe." Kevin frowned. They heard the lift starting back up as it was called back to the surface and they doubled their speed.

"Lisa!" A new voice called out in relief as they sprang into a new room.

"Monette!" She nearly collapsed into the arms of her best friend as they collided. "Monette, oh thank God."

"Girl, don't thank anybody yet, we're not out of the woods." Monette pulled back and beckoned for Lisa to hand her the child.

"This must be Subject 10, is it?" She asked, looking down into the baby's face and frowning. "Little boy, you have quite the destiny ahead of you."

Lisa looked around the room. There were ten cribs lining the walls. They were all numbered, one through ten. The first nine held children, some crying, some not. As Lisa wandered past, looking down at the five girls and four boys below her, she couldn't help the tears that flooded her eyes.

She pressed a hand against her mouth, squeezed them shut and doubled over. She felt Kevin wrap his arms around her and fought to get a better grip on herself.

"Come on sweetheart, he's ready to explain everything." Kevin said.

Finally.

* * *

Another girl stepped past Tina, rubbing her back as she did, stepping into a spotlight in front of her. She was tall, dark haired, beautiful, and happy, but in her eyes, and in her words, there was something else. Something inspiring. This was a girl who knew more than she would ever admit, who was wise well beyond her years.

Santana.

"In Wicked, it is said that people come into your life for a reason bringing something you must learn, and that we are led to those who help us most to grow…" She glanced back to Tina. "If we let them. And we help them in return. Well, sometimes, letting those people in is the hardest thing you can do."

"But what's even harder…" Another voice piped up and a dark haired boy stepped into the light across from her, locking teary eyes with teary eyes. "Is when you have to let those people go."

He turned to look straight ahead.

Blaine.

"But sometimes you have to, because you've learned all you can from that person, and as hard as you try to keep them in your life…sometimes it's beyond your control. So you just have to be happy that they were there at all, and you have to make a promise, to them, and to yourself, that you'll _never _forget them, or the things that they've taught you along the way."

Blaine reached over and clasped Santana's hand, smiling softly.

* * *

The cave was reasonably big, and entirely unassuming, but there was something in one wall, just opposite the entrance, that drew Lisa's eye. It was a door, of some sort. A mechanical contraption that clamped shut in the center. In front of it was a podium, equally as unassuming, but still with an air of importance surrounding it.

Movement drew Lisa's gaze over to the Director who was lifting up the baby in the first crib. He stepped forwards with the child and stood at the podium.

"These children will not be safe as long as their powers are allowed to be free." He said, turning around, mouth barely moving under his moustache. "I've developed a device. I can't guarantee it will work, but it is all that we have. This is the end; there is no way for us to escape this. We have one mutant on our side; they already have at least ten. This will be our final resting place, and I want to thank you all for helping me."

Lisa looked around at the others. One couple stood near the mouth of the cave, the woman crying into her husband's chest, her fiery red hair covering her face as he stroked her back.

Another single blonde man sat back against one wall, running his hand through his hair. Monette stood near Lisa and Kevin with the tenth child still in her arms.

"What does this device do?" Kevin asked.

"In a sense…it drains the power out of the children." The Director said.

"Are you crazy?" The red haired woman snapped, stepping away from her partner. "That's their only defense against these people!"

"I know! It won't drain them forever. The device… I've hidden it at the end of this passage beyond this door. The passage itself is riddled with tricks and traps, and only with these ten all assembled together can it be opened. This is why I brought them here tonight. If we get them together, store their powers, and then send them out into the world, they will be safe."

"But-" The red haired woman began but the Director raised a hand.

"But mutations are not that easily undone. These children will still have their abilities; they will just remain dormant, inside of them. They will grow, as the children grow, and by adulthood they will no longer be able to hide, but if they can reach this place, and recover their powers, they should then be able to fight back! They can save everybody."

He let that news sink in.

"Now come, grab the children, we don't have much time!"

* * *

Blaine and Santana let their hands drop as two more figures stepped through between them. One, a girl with wavy blonde hair and grey-green colored eyes that had both seen too much, and still had much to see. She had a wide smile as she reached back to clasp Santana's hand. Silently, Santana grabbed onto Tina, and Tina to Marley, who clasped hands with Quinn.

Kitty.

The other boy had blonde hair, styled messily. His smile was charming, but then he paused, and it softened into a more genuine, honest smile. He closed his eyes, reaching back to grab Blaine's hand. Blaine clasped Ryder's, who grabbed Jake, who connected to Kurt.

"So maybe we'll never know why we are the way we are." Sam started.

"But we can always appreciate the people that brought us here." Kitty added. "The ones who picked us up when we were down. Who understood when we needed a leader, and when our battles were our own to face."

"The people who loved the unlovable. Who refused to give up. Who would rather overstep their boundaries when you were upset then leave you to suffer alone, because at least then you'd know without a doubt that somebody cared enough to try." Sam blinked back tears.

"This is our journey." Kitty said, reaching over and connecting the two lines together.

"A journey of ambition." Kurt smiled.

"Of family." Quinn said softly, tilting her head to the side to try and hide her tears.

"Of honesty." Jake nodded.

"And of sympathy." Marley added.

"Happiness!" Ryder beamed.

"A journey…" Tina paused, taking a deep breath. "Of strength. And of weakness."

"A journey of friendship." Santana added, squeezing Tina's hand tightly.

"A journey of love…" Blaine looked down at the ground.

"Of discovering who you are…" Sam shrugged.

"Discovering who you want to be." Kitty added.

"And figuring out just how much it means…" Sam paused. "To battle against all odds."

* * *

They had made it. They were in the final room. The room that would inevitably be their tombs. The traps in the other rooms had been ruthless, but somehow, the children kept them at bay. Lisa, who held the sixth and seventh babies, had dodged a serious bullet when a jet of fire flew towards her in the sixth room, but it had parted around her when the sixth child began to cry.

They had lost the partner of the red haired woman along the way, but their resident mutant was still with them, running his hands through his hair frantically. He was the only one who might escape, but even his chances for survival were slim. He was marked.

"Give me the first child!" The Director said. Kevin stepped forwards and handed him the little girl. She smiled up at him and Lisa saw Kevin try to blink back tears.

The Director took her and stepped forwards.

The middle of the room looked like a pyramid, with large decagons placed one on top of the other, stairs running up the center of each side until they reached a large tier at the top that held an orb that was shining with a soft white light.

Slowly, one step at a time, he climbed the stairs. This was it, the moment that would determine whether they had succeeded, or acted in vain. He took a deep breath in front of the orb and then unfolded part of the blanket, clasping the small child's hand.

"This is it sweetheart. You can do this." He mumbled, and then pressed her tiny hand against the glass.

A brilliant green light exploded out of the top of the orb, illuminating the cavern. They all watched as a spiral of energy seeped out of the little girl's hands. Lisa gasped as her hair flew in the energy spiral. The Director started laughing in relief.

"It works! It works!" He exclaimed. "Quickly, bring me the second child! River, get this child to safety!"

The blonde man, River, handed one child to Kevin and then sprang forwards with the other child in his arms.

"Here," He said, trading children. "She's a sweetheart, I really like her, be gentle…"

"Of course."

In a flash, River had vanished into thin air, 'bouncing out' as he liked to call it, and the Director had pressed the second girl's hand to the glass. A bright pink light lit the cavern, bathing them all in pleasing, comforting warmth.

No sooner had the Director pulled the little girl away then River was back and taking her away.

One after another, they cycled through the children. The next was a boy who lit the cavern with a yellow light, then another girl who gave off a purple glow, a boy who shimmered with earth tones, then another who gave off a hot red light, a girl who glimmered with gold, then a boy who blacked out all of the light in the cave.

"I worry for some of these children…" The Director admitted as he took the ninth child from Monette's arms. She stood with the tenth child as footsteps began to grow closer. "The paths that they take will likely not lead anywhere good. The choices they make…they have the power to destroy, just as assuredly as they have the power to do good. I can only hope they make the right choices."

The cave lit up with a soft blue light as a whoosh of air spun around them.

"The last child, quickly!"

He took the final boy and looked down at him.

"…Sam." He whispered. "You… you must be strong. You must be brave. You must be true, with your word, with your heart."

Battle cries sounded as their enemies reached the room. Lisa and Kevin rushed forwards as the red haired woman was overtaken by the others. The two backed up towards the orb with Monette and the Director as villain after villain rushed into the room.

"Hurry Director!" Kevin snapped.

Quickly, he pressed the final child's hand to the orb.

The cave exploded in a blinding white light. Warmth flooded Lisa's body and she gasped. She could feel nothing, nothing, that was, short of a brilliant, blinding hope. She blinked her eyes harshly as slowly the cave reappeared, and she saw several of the soldiers below them looking uncomfortable.

"Ignore it! Kill them, and kill that child!" A new voice snarled.

The soldiers started forwards, but River reappeared and grabbed the boy before they reached them. As he bounced away, and guns and blades flew past her, Lisa couldn't help but feel hopeful.

Minutes later, she was bleeding out, still holding onto Kevin's hand. They had ended up at the bottom of the stairs again, and she watched as the orb began to shift and churn angrily as other people began to touch it. It didn't light up, even when mutants from the opposing side touched it, but if inanimate things could get angry, that was what was happening.

Suddenly, without warning, a rush of light slammed into the men and women closing in on their kills. It shot them out of the room, and Lisa could hear door after door slam shut after them. The passage was once again sealed. The children were safe. They had done it. There was nothing more that could be done.

Lisa smiled as the light returned to the orb to spiral around, waiting for the saviors to come and reclaim it. She had hope.

She closed her eyes as she succumbed to her injuries, and joined her friends in death.

* * *

_**Musical Cue: **_

_**Glee-You Have More Friends Than You Know**_

Slowly the pools of light began to shift and change color around the ten boys and girls standing below them. The light above Marley shifted and turned green.

_"Mmm… oooh." _She sang softly. _"We fear… we hear, your pain, your fear."_

_ "But we're here…" _Santana sang as the light above her turned pink. _"To say, who you are, is okay!"_

Ryder's light slowly changed to a warm yellow tone.

_ "And you don't have to go through this on your own! You're not alone!" _He sang, squeezing Jake and Kurt by the hands.

_"You have more friends than you know," _Tina sang, smiling. _"Some who surround you, some you are destined to meet!" _The light above her turned a soft purple. _"You'll have more love in your life-"_

_ "Don't let go, give it time!" _Kurt sang out, and Jake joined him as brown and red light lit them both up respectively. _"Take it slow! Those who love you the most may need more time to grow!"_

_ "It's gonna be okay!" _Jake sang and Kurt doubled him.

_"It's gonna be okay!"_

_ "You have more friends than you know!" _Jake smiled softly and glanced over to Kitty. She nodded.

_"Be brave!" _She picked up the song as her light turned gold. _"Be strong! You are loved! You belong!"_

Blaine picked up; singing with her as his light darkened slightly. They beamed at one another as they echoed one another.

_"Someday soon!"_

_ "Someday soon!"_

_ "You will see!"_

_ "You will see!"_

_ "You're exactly," _He turned and locked eyes with Kitty, grinning. _"Who you're supposed to be!"_

_ "And you don't have to go through this on your own!" _Quinn sang as her light turned a soft blue.

"Oh!" Sam shook his head as his light brightened.

_"You're not-"_

_ "You're not-" _He doubled her.

_ "Alone!"_

_ "You're not alone!" _He shrugged. _"Oh no!"_

All of their lights brightened as they started swaying to the beat as all ten of them joined together in song.

_"You have more friends than you know! Some who surround you, some you are destined to meet! You have more love in your life. Don't let go!" _

_ "Give it time." _Sam nodded as the others echoed him.

_"Give it time!"_

_ "Take it slow!"_

_ "Take it slow," _

_ "Those who love you the most, may need more time to grow!" _He smiled and turned to look at the others. _"It's gonna be okay…"_

_ "Gonna be okay." _

_ "You have more friends than you know!"_

_ "Be who you are," _Santana belted out, crossing the stage and grabbing Blaine's hand. They stepped forwards between Kitty and Sam grinning at them. _"Learn to forgive!"_

He joined her, squeezing Sam's shoulder tightly.

_"It's not about who you love!" _

_ "But how you live!" _Santana started riffing as Blaine built on his own belt. _"Whoa!"_

_ "But how you live!"_

_ "You have more friends than you know!" _The two of them turned the circle inwards as the entire stage lit up.

_"Than you know!" _Quinn sang out.

_"Some who surround you."_

_ "Yeah!" _Kurt cheered.

_ "Some you are destined to meet!"_

_ "To meet!" _Ryder grinned. _"More!"_

_ "You'll have more love in your life!"_

_ "Don't let go, give it time!" _Marley and Jake smiled at one another.

_ "Give it time!"_

_ "Take it slow!" _Tina cheered.

_ "Take it slow!" _Blaine agreed.

_ "Those who love you the most," _Kitty and Sam sang together. Santana belted overtop of them._ "May need more time to grow!"_

_ "It's gonna be okay!" _Sam sang.

_ "It's gonna be okay!" _Kitty nodded at him.

_ "You have more friends than you know!" _Everybody joined in.

_ "It's gonna be okay." _Sam finished the song softly, closing his eyes.

* * *

**_So there you go! A short little teaser I guess you could say. If I do continue the next chapter will feature the introduction of many of these characters twenty years into the future. Sam has been having strange dreams about people that he's never met, worse, in each dream the stranger dies! Sam's roommate Rachel Berry and close friend Blaine Anderson don't think much of Sam's dreams, but Sam becomes convinced of his premonitions, especially after an encounter with Kurt Hummel, one of the dream subjects, causes him to fall unconscious and relive the dream! Which only causes Sam even more stress when his next dream, is about Blaine._**

**_Meanwhile, a rogue scientist who discovered the truth behind her company, races against the clock to try and rescue The Ten before the company can track them down. All the while trying to dodge attacks on herself!_**

**_Marley Rose has found success with her family business, but when her whole life is suddenly turned upside down and she lies unconscious in the smoke, the priorities of her and those around her are threatened. Meanwhile, Tina Cohen-Chang may know more about what is happening than she should, and she is in no rush to get involved, so when Sam starts hunting down the people from his dreams, she makes it her mission to steer clear. But does she have a choice?_**

**_READ AND REVIEW FRIENDS! Let me know if you want me to continue this or no, because its no skin off my back either way! Thanks!_**


	2. 20 Years Later

****_**Hey all! I'm just uploading this to give a taste of what the story would be like if I continued with it! Which I really do want to do, but I need to know its worth my time! So let me know what you think! This also introduces Rachel, Brittany and Jacob Ben-Israel (wat) as characters as well, so that's pretty cool! Many of the other characters, like Santana and Quinn and Kitty won't be huge until later on, but I have HUGE plans for them. I love all three of those girls. **_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or these songs.**_

_**P.S. There are two different versions I've found online of the song in this chapter, go for the one with a black background behind the lyrics! That's the one I used, it will have the right timing and such!**_

**Twenty Years Later**

He rushed through the hallways, pale skin coated in sweat, glasses cracked in one lens and blood rushing from his nose. There were alarms blaring all around him, and the sounds of other people shouting were uncomfortably loud in his ears. If they were that loud, then they must've been closing in.

"Stop or I'll shoot!" One of his pursuers called out as he reached the end of one of the hallways, file folder clutched to his chest so tightly he was leaving creases in the shape of his handprints.

Instead of stopping, he darted to the right, sprinting down the hallway faster than he'd ever sprinted in his entire life. In high school he hadn't really participated in sports. Actually, he'd never really enjoyed them, but his athleticism had never been a factor in his _survival_.

Or, you know, the survival of the entire human race.

No pressure.

"Dr. Ben-Israel, I don't want to shoot you!" The guard chasing him called out.

The scientist did not respond; he was too out of breath to call back even if he wanted to.

"This is your last warning!"

He whipped around the corner and let out a scream as a bullet hit the ground behind him. He dove into a laboratory and slammed the door behind him, locking it and backing away, arms shaking.

"Jacob?"

He whipped around, terrified.

"Rachel!" He rushed towards her, pressing the file folder into her arms. She was examining some aerial footage of the city and marking certain paths in red marker. "This place is a lie!"

"What-" She shoved her papers into a different folder and stood up, confused.

"Dr. Ben-Israel! We know you're in there, come out with your arms up!" One of the soldiers screamed through the door.

"Jacob, I demand that you tell me exactly what is going on here!" Rachel whispered urgently. "I have no desire to become an affiliate in something greater than what I aspire to be, and if those gunshots were in relation to you, I request that you leave my office! Immediately!"

He looked from her to the door and swallowed nervously, grabbing her file folder and swapping it with his own.

"Take this home, read it, it'll explain everything. They've been trying to figure out who these people are, and now they know! You have to help them! I love you Rachel Berry!" He pushed her towards the adjoining room.

"What? Jacob, no, we've talked about this! I do not love you! We are not a couple!"

She turned back to look at him in blatant confusion as he grabbed the door handle.

"I'm sorry." Jacob said honestly before slamming it shut.

* * *

"Fuck Mondays…" Sam groaned, swinging his arms overhead and arching his back. He yelped as he toppled over the side of the bed and crashed onto the floor, a tangle of blankets and limbs and cursing. "Fuck blankets…" He grumbled.

He sat up frowning, one of the pillows tumbling off of his head to the ground.

"Morning Sam!" His obnoxiously cheery roommate popped her head into the room and smiled at him in blissful ignorance.

"Fuck mornings." He groaned and she laughed, disappearing from his view.

"I made pancakes! Lord Tubbington made the recipe, and he taught Betty White how to cook." She called back while he went about trying to untangle himself from the covers that he was pretty certain were trying to eat him.

"Fuck pancakes… Also I think you mean Betty Crocker." He mumbled, standing up and stomping his way out of the bedroom and into the living area of the apartment, one blanket still trailing around his ankle.

"Fine, no pancakes for you. I'll just give them to Homeless Bob." She said calmly, turning to raise her eyebrows at him. With a shock of blonde hair in a permanent ponytail and slender curves, Brittany was a stunning girl. She was also a lesbian, which probably explained why Sam had no issues letting her see him next to naked.

They had dated once, in the past, but that ended when she kept making comments about how he wasn't doing much for her in bed. A man could only take so much before he admitted that his girlfriend was just gay. It was the only explanation, since Sam rocked in bed.

"No!" He yelled, sprawling himself across the center island. "I take it back! I anti-fuck the pancakes!"

Brittany raised an eyebrow and he lifted his head just long enough to glare her down. She laughed and tipped his breakfast onto a plate.

"Somebody is grumpy this morning. Lord Tubbington says grumpiness is bad for your skin, and that's why he smokes, because it makes him less grumpy." She said calmly, slipping the plate in front of him. He forced himself to sit up.

"Who's grumpy?" He asked, stabbing a pancake and forcing half of it into his mouth aggressively, almost choking himself as he did.

She turned and looked at him pointedly and he scowled.

"You had one of those dreams again, didn't you?" She asked, leaning against the counter on the other side and taking a bite of her own pancakes.

Sam sighed, setting his fork down and nodding, running a hand through his hair. Those dreams! What was the cause? He'd never seen any of those people in his life before! Brittany insisted that he must've seen them somewhere, because he couldn't just make up entire people in his mind, but he was pretty sure that he could. It only made sense! This was the seventh one this month!

"What was this one like?" She asked, taking a sip of juice.

"I don't even know, some girl, blonde hair in a ponytail. She was pretty, and must've been a student, cause she was in a classroom…" He trailed off.

"Maybe it was me from the past!" Brittany said logically.

"I don't think so Brit, she had a different face."

"Well what happened to her?" Brittany asked. She was used to his dreams enough to know the general pattern.

"Her teacher exploded. All over her. There was blood everywhere, and then the other students started screaming and vanishing in this darkness until she was the only one left in the room. These weird fucking shadow hands reached out of the floor and the desk and shit and grabbed her all over and…" He sighed. "And then I don't know, because I woke up."

Brittany frowned and finished her juice, wiping her hands on a hand towel that hung on the stove.

"That's sad." She said. "She probably died. Like that one guy at the zoo!"

"He didn't die that I know of!" Sam said defensively.

Brittany paused. "Right, sorry, he fell into the pit, towards a huge pod of snapping crocodiles. I'm sure they were just wanting like, a nibble, and then they'd let him go." She smiled so innocently that Sam honestly couldn't tell if she was serious about that or not. "Anyways, Lord Tubbington says that if I keep listening to you talk, I'll go crazy. I'm only allowed to listen to him talk and I'm going to be late for work if I keep trying to figure it out! Bye!"

Sam grunted at her, unable to get over it. It had been odd at first, and then almost cool, but now… he couldn't help but wonder what it was that his subconscious was trying to tell him!

Groaning Sam pulled himself up and stumbled back into his bedroom, almost tripping over the devil cat in question. Reaching under the mattress he pulled out a small notebook and flipped it open. He skimmed down the list he'd made and jotted down a number seven at the bottom.

"Uh… teenage girl, blonde hair, naturally wavy. Slender body type and-"

* * *

"-Caucasian." Rachel peered down at the notes Jacob had given her. "Name, Kitty Wilde; half-sister of mutation subject nine, Quinn Fabray. Untapped affinity, uncertain; a wild card. This test subject should be approached with extreme caution, though her power is uncertain, she is a marked four star on the scale."

Rachel sat at her desk, the curtains of her apartment drawn, one hand routed in her hair as she looked down at the papers scattered about before her. One after another, these people had sheet after sheet devoted to them. She groaned and flipped to the next sheet.

**Mutation Subject 10: Sam Evans**

**Born: July 21st 1995**

**Birth Parents: Deceased**

***Some sort of incident at a local elementary school involving an enraged student (Evans) and an exploding light fixture [October 23rd 2007]**

***A repeat incident, same student, new school. Power monitor in the area noted a jump in the levels [April 14th 2011]**

***After trailing the Subject, an agent provoked him, and prompted a streetlight to explode. Evans seems oblivious that it is his doing. Confirmed mutant by power seeker. Age matches with the Missing Ten.**

***Evans' whereabouts are being monitored after leaving his parents. Trackers have been planted in the apartment, and on the footwear of himself and his roommate, Brittany S. Pierce. Turn to page 401 for information on Pierce. [September 17th 2018]**

**Marked Power Level: ?**

***Though he was scanned repeatedly, the reading was hazy and unclear. He is impossible to classify, though, as none of the other test subjects have cleared four-star level, it is likely that his power is simply to hide his power, thus labeling him a one star mutant.**

_Note to whoever reads this! If you're reading it, it means I did not get out! The Creator doesn't suspect anything of Sam, but keep in mind that these ten kids are the only ones able to either destroy or save the world! I checked out the findings, and the scientists made a vital error! The children are a mistake now, or at least, the way that they were created was. They are the most successful mutants that have been created, but they were not taught to kill, and they were raised with different morals then most of the mutants in their army. That means that the scientists are going to try and take them all out now! They may try brainwashing, but I wouldn't count on it, the Ten are too great a threat! They finally have confirmation that Tina is becoming aware, so they're moving fast now!_

_Anyway! In every team of heroes, one naturally rises to five star level, without fail! They assume that because these people were engineered this won't happen, but I suspect it might. In the rest of the group there are four of them with a four star power, two with three star and three more with two stars. Sam is the only one not marked! Unless Kitty or one of the others can break through to five star level, which seems unlikely, the leader has to be Sam! Collect him first! If they're smart, they'll go after him right away. He's a wild card, AND his powers have emerged a few times before already! –Dr. Jacob Ben-Israel._

Rachel sighed and let her head fall to the desk. The night before her biggest concern was making her deadline at work. Her job was to map out the city with aerial photographs, harmless, right? Except, now it turns out her boss is somehow involved with genetic research with a plan for some sort of global or at least city wide domination.

Just another Monday, she supposed.

* * *

Marley Rose yawned, rubbing at her eyes and stretching her arms high above her head. She stretched her back and looked to the night table where her book had ended up when she dozed off the night before.

Carefully lifting it and tabbing the page she'd been on, she wandered over to her desk and opened her laptop there. She logged onto her University's homepage and clocked in to her early morning online lecture, settling back and reaching for her notepad and pencils.

Helping out with the family business was ridiculously important, and so was sleep, but her studies came first! She could help her family all she wanted, but if she made it, and she became the doctor she wanted to be, then she could help hundreds of families!

Her professor started talking and she set her face, nodding and jotting down the title. A little hard work never hurt anyone! Especially not if it meant helping other people in the long run.

* * *

Santana Lopez was exhausted as she stepped into the shower at the arena. She and her cheer team had been practicing since before five in the morning and she was practically bathing in sweat.

She loved being active, and always having something to do, but she did relish the opportunities to get to relax.

She waved coolly as several of her teammates crossed by on their way to the door. Smiling contentedly to herself she started lathering up her hair. She loved her friends, honestly, even if sometimes she could be a straight-up bitch to them. That didn't mean she didn't care! It just meant that she was a straight-up bitch.

Shrugging, she started washing out her hair, combing through it and humming softly to herself. She would see them again soon enough.

* * *

Ryder Lynn was already working when the sun came up, sweat staining his t-shirt, heavy work gloves on the hands that he held the shovel with. He looked up at the sky and smiled, shielding his eyes.

He shook his head and planted the shovel in the ground, grabbing the new tree and dropping it in the whole. Taking a deep breath, he leaned against the shovel and took a deep drink from his water bottle.

Was this where he wanted to be in life?

Sure! He was happy! What else mattered?

* * *

Tina Cohen-Chang was a flurry of activity as she hurried around her house, trying in vain to find the other pair to her shoes. She wasn't late, but she wanted to go early just in case traffic was really bad, or something…

She paused and tried to retrace her steps, running into the back room of her house; the studio. Wandering inside she found her other shoe kicked underneath one of the easels.

She smiled and slipped it on and looked around. Her house was neat, and orderly. Everything had a place and that was exactly where it was… except for this room. This was the room where organization exploded, her studio.

The paintings scattered about the room were stunning, every shade and every hue, telling stories of memories and dreams and aspirations. They were as vibrant and exciting as Tina sometimes felt.

But order was easier and order was safer, so that was how she would live her life. Orderly, and precise, with her own little private paradise.

* * *

Kurt Hummel took a deep breath as he wandered into work, slinging a barista's apron around his midsection and slamming the visor down on his head. He gave a quick smile to one of the customers and then stepped into the backroom to punch in.

Once he was all present and accounted for he sighed and caught a look at himself in the reflective surface of one of the coffee makers. Was this really where he wanted to be in the world?

No… he would be big! One day, he'd be the greatest!

He just knew it…

* * *

Jake Puckerman was yawning himself as the sun rose over Sunset City. He leaned against the wall and rested the mop against the rim of the bucket, looking out one of the windows in the building complex.

He'd been working the night shift yet again, and the building was spotless, it had just been a little lonely.

The building was spotless, his coworkers would be happy, and he'd gotten to shamelessly sing through the entire Grease soundtrack all night! That was more than enough for him.

He looked at his phone as a text message came in.

"Can you cover my day shift?" He read allowed and then sighed before typing back a reluctant, "Sure!"

If Jake was anything, he was dependable, and that was a good way to be!

* * *

Kitty Wilde tossed her messenger bag over her shoulder and checked herself out in the mirror, nodding appreciatively at her outfit. She was ready to face the day!

She gave her parents a quick hug each and called out a goodbye to her sister before skipping out the door and meeting her friends on the sidewalk outside of her house.

Her boyfriend smiled and wrapped his arm around her, pulling her into him, and Kitty shared an exasperated look with her best friend. She loved them, she really did.

She frowned as she fell into stride with them.

She just was still working out why that was. Kitty loved her life, it was comfortable, and as long as she did what was expected of her, and stayed emotionally out of everybody else's business, everything was in harmony.

She was starting to wonder, however, what would happen if she didn't.

* * *

Blaine Anderson grabbed his gym bag, biting the lid of his travel mug and holding it in his mouth as he fumbled his way out the door of the apartment. He re-clasped the mug and grinned, taking a deep gulp of tea to try and push away the fatigue he felt.

He really shouldn't stay up so late!

Adjusting the strap on his shoulder he checked the bag to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything; jazz shoes, tap shoes, ballet shoes, jazz pants, shorts, a couple t-shirts, the costumes for the run-through, a smoothie in another travel mug, everything seemed in order, if a little chaotic.

That was okay, chaos was exciting! It was okay to live on the edge a little bit, it made things interesting. He stopped at the crosswalk and then jogged across the street, smiling to himself as he started singing softly.

* * *

Quinn Fabray smiled at herself in the mirror, tightening the scarf around her neck and smoothing out some of the ruffles in her dress. Her mother peaked in the door and smiled at her.

"How do I look?" Quinn asked.

"Beautiful!" Her mother smiled. "They'll buy the house just having you stand in front of it!"

Quinn laughed and shook her head, fluffing up her curls a little more. She could always count on her family to boost her self-esteem. Sure things had been rocky once but… since her mother had met Kitty's father, they'd all come a long way!

That's what family was for, after all!

* * *

Sam closed the door to the apartment and locked it. Brittany had already left for the day and he was alone, which was always dangerous, because it gave him time to think.

Despite the weird dreams though, he was in a relatively good mood! He was bored with his life, he was thirsting for something new, something different, an adventure!

**Musical Cue:**

**Whitesnake-Here I Go Again**

He smiled to himself and leaned back against the door, eyes lighting up as he imagined the many different directions that his life could take! He was young; he still had his entire life ahead of him!

He let that thought sink in for a moment and his smile broadened.

"_No, I don't know where I'm going…" _He sang softly, pressing his back against the door. _"But I sure know where I've been…"_

He stood up and started walking down the hallway, shoving his hands in his pockets.

_"Hangin' on the promises…" _He sang, smiling. _"And the songs of yesterday…." _He nodded firmly. _"And I've made up my mind…"_

He reached the elevator and stepped inside, leaning back against the wall as it descended.

_"I aint't wastin' no more time…" _He took a deep breath. _"Here I go again." _

The doors opened and he stepped out, grinning and walking across the reception area.

_"Here I go again…" _He smiled.

He shoved open the door and walked out into the sunlight.

_"Though I keep searchin' for an answer," _He shrugged, breathing out. _"I never seem to find what I'm lookin' for." _He laughed and raised his hands. _"Oh Lord I pray you give me strength to carry on."_

He stepped up on a fountain and started walking along it.

"_Cause I know what it means, to walk along the lonely street of dreams!"_

He ran to the end and jumped off of it, laughing to himself.

"_Here I go again on my own!" _He belted, grinning. _"Goin' down the only road I've ever known." _

He passed by a girl jogging and spun around her, winking to her.

"_Like a drifter I was born to walk alone!" _He shrugged and turned to continue down the road. _"And I've made up my mind! I ain't wastin' no more time."_

* * *

Kurt smiled as the customer left. When she was out of sight he sighed and leaned back against the counter.

_ "I'm just another heart in need of rescue…" _He sang softly.

* * *

Quinn spritzed herself with a quick burst of perfume and nodded at her reflection absently.

"_Waitin' on love's sweet charity." _She sang.

* * *

Ryder picked up the shovel and stretched his back.

_ "And I'm gonna hold on." _He nodded, digging it in._ "For the rest of my days!"_

* * *

Marley took a sip of water and crossed her legs, staring at the screen.

_ "Cause I know what it means." _She sang, looking down at her notes._ "To walk along the lonely street of dreams!"_

* * *

Jake watched, smiling as the city began to fill with life.

_ "Here I go again on my own!" _He sang, nodding to himself.

* * *

"_Goin' down the only road I've ever known!"_ Tina finished, locking the door to her house and jogging over to her truck.

* * *

_ "Like a drifter I was born to walk alone!" _Blaine continued, adjusted the strap of his bag as he wandered down the street, taking another sip of his drink.

* * *

_ "And I've made up my mind..." _Santana sang, grabbing her bag from her locker and turning to lean back against it. _"I ain't wastin' no more time!"_

* * *

_ "But here I go again!" _Kitty sang determinedly, looking around at her friends. _"Here I go again!"_

* * *

_ "Here I go again!" _Sam lifted his arms above his head and wailed. _"Here I go!"_

* * *

Quinn reached her car and hopped in, turning the key and checking her appearance in the mirror one last time.

* * *

Kurt groaned as another customer entered, plastering on a smile and nodding as they rattled off their order.

* * *

Ryder reached out of the hole he was digging and grabbed his water bottle, taking another swig.

* * *

Marley nodded, jotting down another note and turning the page, numbering the new page in the corner.

* * *

With a whistle and a smile Jake returned to work, grabbing the mop bucket and trudging down the hallway.

* * *

Tina peeled out of her driveway, looking out into the sun. She frowned softly to herself as she glanced out the window, opening her mouth to sing. _"Cause I know what it means…" _She sang softly. _"To walk along the lonely street of dreams!"_

* * *

Blaine had a skip in his step as he danced his way down the sidewalk, spinning on his heels.

_"Here I go again on my own!" _He sang, laughing and sliding past the other citizens. _"Goin' down the only road I've ever known!"_

* * *

Santana bounced her way out of the arena, smiling up at the sun, unable to keep the grin from herself.

_"Like a drifter I was born to walk alone!" _She sang.

* * *

Kitty nodded to herself, clutching the straps of her bag.

_"And I've made up my mind!" _She sang. _"I ain't wastin' no more time!"_

All across the city the others joined her in song, belting and dancing their way through the day.

_"And here I go again on my own!" _They sang. _"Goin' down the only road I've ever known! Like a drifter I was born to walk alone."_

Sam slowed to a stop, looking around at the city.

_"Cause I know what it means…" _He sang honestly. _"To walk along the lonely street of dreams!"_

As the others continued to sing, he shook his head and continued about his way.

That was the problem…

He still felt like he was lonely, and as much as he felt about ready to receive whatever consummate greatness was coming his way… he was worried about what those changes might bring… for better, or for worse.

Shaking his head he laughed and headed towards the coffee shop. He had a few theories he wanted to run by someone…

* * *

"Okay, I'm not saying that it makes sense, I'm just saying…I mean, what do you think déjà vu is?" Sam said.

"Not seeing the future." Blaine laughed, shaking his head.

Blaine was shorter with an athletic build and slicked back dark hair. He was a performer in the area, and was in his last year of a pretty prestigious musical theatre program, so he was definitely in shape. They had met in Blaine's second year, Sam's first year in his second program, when Blaine had been frantically searching for shoes to wear to an audition, and had all but mugged Sam for his.

Ah, memories.

"What are you even doing here?" Blaine asked, snickering and taking a sip of his tea. "Don't you have class? This is your fifth program in four years, you might actually want to attend!"

"No, shut up!" Sam laughed. "I'll deal with that when I figure out why I'm dreaming about people that I've literally never seen before in my life." He leaned back in the armchair and clasped his hands around his cup.

Blaine stood up and shook his head.

"Well I do have class in another twenty minutes, and Dryden hates people who are late. Last time I was late, not only did I get taken out of choreography, but I had to do bicycle crunches for a half hour! I had to take an ice bath after that! Do you know how uncomfortable that is? Ice. Everywhere!" He tipped the cup back and drained the last of his tea, smacking his lips and tossing it into the garbage.

He turned to leave and nearly ran into somebody.

"Sorry!" He said, stepping around them and then glancing back at Sam.

"You!" Sam exclaimed, loud enough for several of the other patrons to hear.

The other boy turned around, confused. He was taller, also with light brown hair, in some sort of fancy style that must have taken a long time to do. He was a little lankier, wearing one of the coffee shop's trademark smocks, so he must've been new if Sam hadn't seen him before.

"Me? Did you want a refill?" The boy asked. His nametag read Kurt, and something about the name seemed right to Sam.

"Sam…this is Kurt. He started working here last weekend, have you two not met yet?" Blaine asked. "Kurt, this is my friend Sam, we come here a lot. You'll probably get tired of seeing us." He laughed good-naturedly and Kurt laughed back, but Sam stood routed to the spot, staring at him.

"You were in my dream!" Sam insisted and Blaine's smile slowly faded away.

"Sam…" He mumbled, stepping closer. "You probably just saw him around; he moved in just around the corner from me two weeks ago. When did you have this dream?"

Sam shook his head, eyes still on Kurt, who was looking around in blatant confusion. Other patrons in the restaurant were starting to mumble to one another, but all eyes were still fixed on Sam.

"Sam!" Blaine hissed, grabbing his elbow and leading him from the table, but Sam wrenched his arm free and pointed to Kurt. "I swear he's not normally like this, he hasn't been getting much sleep lately and-"

"You died!" Sam insisted.

"Sam!" Blaine yelled, grabbing him again and yanking him to the door, shoving him through ahead of him. He turned back and mouthed a quick apology to Kurt.

On the chilly streets of early morning April in Sunset City, Sam shoved his hands into his pocket and shook his head. The whole dream was coming back to him in full now.

* * *

_Kurt frowned to himself as he wiped down the coffee machine until he could check his teeth in the stainless steel surfaces. He tossed the rag on the counter and turned as the bell above the door rang._

_ "Sorry we're closed!" He said, but there was nobody there. "Conner?" He called out, looking around for his coworker. _

_ There was a gust of cold air and the lights flickered. Kurt looked up at them nervously, and then stepped out from behind the counter, walking briskly towards the storage room where his coworker had been. _

_ "Conner?" He stepped inside, but there was nobody there. A single can of soup rolled in a slow circle around on the floor._

_ A strangled cry came from another part of the coffee shop and Kurt's head whipped to the side. Slowly he reached out and grabbed the only defense he could find, a heavy can of soup, and crept around the corner, whipping his arm up, ready to throw it._

_ Nobody was there. _

_ Kurt sighed and lowered the soup can, stepping back behind the counter and into the kitchen area. He noticed the shop getting colder and turned, surprised to find their walk-in deep-freezer wide open._

_ "Conner? Aren't we supposed to keep this closed?" Kurt asked, stepping towards it. "Conner!"_

_ There in the middle of the floor, his coworker was laying, face down with his limbs splayed all over the place. _

_ Kurt rushed towards him and shook his back, but he didn't move._

_ "Conner!" _

_ Kurt reached forwards and tilted his head up. Only the face that snapped towards him wasn't Conner's. It wasn't human at all. It was a mess of pale flesh, jutting bones, and teeth like razors._

_ "Conner's not here right now. Can I take a message?" Whatever it was…it had a voice like air leaking from a pipe. Just a dry hiss, and it chilled Kurt in ways that the deep-freezer never could. _

_ "Wha…" Kurt gasped, chest heaving as he backed up in an awkward sort of crab walk. He winced as his head smacked into the door. The door that had been left open. The door that was now closed._

_ "What was that?" The thing snickered, crawling towards him and revealing razor sharp talons instead of fingernails. "Cat got your tongue?" _

_ Kurt tried to respond, but his words were stuck in his throat. He was paralyzed by fear. The ground began to quake and products began to fall from the shelves._

_ "That's okay. I'll take it back!" It lunged forwards, claws outstretched._

* * *

"Sam!" Blaine yelled and Sam snapped back into the present.

Sam blinked harshly, looking around. There were a few people standing around nervously. Blaine had his hands on Sam's arm and the ground was cold against Sam's back.

"My God." Blaine panted, sitting back on his heels.

"When did I get on the ground?" Sam asked, confused.

"Beats the hell out of me!" Blaine snapped. "You just got this vacant look in your eyes and dropped. What is going on with you?"

"I don't know!" Sam insisted, sitting up slowly and wincing. "It's him!" He pointed towards the coffee shop window. Some of the patrons were still watching them through the glass, and Sam caught Kurt's eye. The other boy widened his gaze and quickly looked away. "Him and all the other people!"

"Sam, you're not telling the future! The things you're seeing don't even exist! I mean, shadows reaching out of the ground? Talking animals? Some crazy monster that can summon earthquakes?" Blaine looked at him incredulously, standing and brushing his legs off. "I mean, you're my best friend, but you're starting to scare me."

Sam frowned, accepting the hand that Blaine offered him. The warmth coming off of his friend was a welcome break from the cold feeling that had come over him. It felt like he'd been there…in the deep-freezer…with that…thing.

"It just…it felt so real…" Sam whispered.

Blaine looked at Sam with blatant concern.

"It was just a dream…" He said. "But you might want to get it checked out anyways, maybe you just need more protein or something…" He chuckled weakly. "I mean, you're skipping class anyways."

Sam allowed him a shaky laugh.

"Y-yeah…that's me…crazy." He frowned and Blaine shook his head.

"Look, I have to get to class, but text me okay." He looked at him seriously. "I worry about you."

"I know." Sam waved him off. "I worry about me too." He laughed and Blaine rolled his eyes.

"Bye!"

Sam waved him off and then let his hand, and his smile, drop. He turned and took one more look at the coffee shop before turning and walking away.

* * *

Jacob looked up through the bars, blood drying on his skin and glasses crumpled in his hands. The footsteps of his captors echoed around him and snippets of conversation came flitting back to him from all over.

"-yeah, but when are we going to attack?"

"It's not like we can let them run amuck forever!"

"If we don't destroy them first, they've got the capacity to kill us all-"

"-got word from the Creator, we're going to start launching attacks soon."

"-hear he's assigned to the greenhouse. That poor girl, she doesn't stand a chance of getting out-"

"The sisters? Who is watching their house?"

Jacob sighed, leaning his head back against the wall. He let his eyes close and his mind drifted to Rachel, wondering if she could do anything to save them. It was all in her hands. It was up to her! Her and…them…just so long as they didn't die first…

He groaned and lifted his head up off of the wall, peering into the hallway.

"Well what about the papers?" Somebody was saying.

"That scientist gave the files away, and we're still working on tracking them down." His partner said. "But they think they've narrowed it down. Her name's Rachel Berry, she's the director of aerial photography in the west wing, her room was the last one Dr. Ben-Israel was seen in."

Jacob let his eyes close slowly in defeat. It was over before it had even started. There was no way Rachel could fight them. The forces at the Creator's command were terrifying in their power. Even the ten subjects would have struggles; Rachel didn't stand a chance.

No, they were all pretty well fucked.

* * *

"Sam! You have a visitor."

Sam groaned and grabbed onto the underside of the car, wheeling himself out from under it. He wiped the grease away onto his pants and stood up, snickering at the sight of himself in the mirror. There were dark streaks under his eyes and in the bridge of his nose from times when he'd stupidly scratched himself.

He rubbed his nose, but only worsened the problem, so he grabbed a dishcloth from a hook against the wall and wandered out the door to the reception area of Lubrication Larry's Garage.

Yeah…his boss never had understood why people snickered at the name.

He nodded to the receptionist and peered over the desk to find his visitor; a stunningly beautiful, shorter girl with long blonde hair and high cheekbones. She had a striking beauty about her, sharp eyes, well-maintained eyebrows, and a perpetually pursed lip.

"Quinn!" He smiled and she grinned, eyebrows rising. She waved tightly and then shook her head at his appearance.

"Oh Sam…" She shook her head. "I have some wet-naps in my purse, just a second!"

Sam rolled his eyes, but smiled as the receptionist snickered to herself.

This happened every time Quinn came to drop of her car. He'd come to expect it, and even the teasing from his coworkers didn't bother him anymore. He was plenty comfortable in his masculinity.

"You know, Quinn, you're gonna be a great mother someday." Sam laughed.

She looked up at him, sighing as she passed him the wet-naps.

"Speaking of which, how are things with Ken?" Sam asked as he began to peel the layers of dirt off of his skin.

"His name is Robert!" Quinn said curtly. "He is not a Barbie doll!"

"Could've fooled me." Sam shrugged. She smacked him and he snickered, taking a step back.

Quinn shook her hair back and retrieved her wet-naps, slipping them back into her purse.

"_Robert _is just fine. We're going to the movies this weekend; I'll have you know. A nice romantic movie, with dinner beforehand."

"Open grill?" Sam asked.

"No…why?"

"Well, I wouldn't want him to get too close to the flames! He'd melt!"

"Sam!"

"I'm just kidding!" He told her, and he almost sounded sincere. There was just something about Quinn's boyfriend's snooty, uppity attitude that put Sam off. He was the type of idiot who really believed that the working class was just there to serve him. If they were wearing a uniform, they didn't matter. "Anyways, what did you need?"

Quinn looked confused for a moment, but then brightened as Sam busied himself playing with the flipbook daily joke calendar sitting atop the receptionist's desk.

"Oh right! Sam, I need a favor!"

"Grape!" He said automatically. "No! Strawberry! _No! _Cherry!"

"What…?" Quinn paused. "Favor, not flavor!"

"Oh…sorry." He frowned. "What do you need?"

She frowned.

"This Saturday, Kitty has an appointment out of town by that Performing Arts University? I can't drive her because I have an exam that day, and she doesn't have her car after she and her boytoy went joyriding! Can you?" She asked tentatively. "Dad has to work and Mom is coming with me so…you can take my car!"

Sam raised an eyebrow.

"Why can't Barbie take her?"

"Ken!" Quinn corrected.

"Right, Ken." Sam smiled.

"Wait! _Rob_!" Quinn swore and Sam's smile was so wide and cocky it looked like it might break his face. "You're actually the worst."

Sam burst out laughing.

"Whatever, I'm sure Rob's busy getting a bikini wax. I'll gladly meet the infamous Other Sister." He chuckled. "I've _still _never met her."

Quinn raised her own eyebrows in surprise.

"Really?" She asked. "I would've thought you'd seen her through the car window or something for sure!"

Sam shook his head.

"Nope! Just you!"

Quinn nodded, absorbing this.

"Well there you go, it'll be a nice bonding experience for you both." Quinn grinned.

Sam chuckled.

"I'm sure it will be."

* * *

Rachel looked up at the computer screen in front of her, marking a few final points on her own maps. The footage she'd taken of the city was quite detailed and well documented, and she had already mapped out the homes of the subjects, and several of their local hangout spots. The first subject, for example, Kurt Hummel, had his home tabbed, and the coffee shop where he worked, and she'd even tagged which Subway entrances he used to get to and from work.

Rachel Berry was nothing if she was not precise. If she was going to do something, she was going to do it well.

She had no idea what she was going to do with this information, but she was starting to come up with quite a bevy of information on these young adults. Her pile was rich with newspaper articles and documentation that she'd found. As it turned out, once she knew what she was looking for, it was almost too easy to find everything; shows that one boy had performed in, interviews with one girl who's family owned the most successful gardening center in Sunset City, photos of another girl's art, and pictures of that mystery boy working repairing a car. As it turned out, their lives even had some overlap!

Kurt's coffee shop was a frequent hot spot for a lot of people, but for at least three of the others, they stopped by there almost daily. One boy volunteered at the athletic center that was started by another girl. Quinn's mechanic was Sam! There were two sets of coworkers, and two sets of best friends! The overlap was impossible to ignore, but Rachel couldn't be certain if that was some sort of genetic draw to one another, or just coincidence.

She clicked the print button and opened her bulging file folder of information. She was pretty sure she'd just keep finding information forever until it was too late. That way she wouldn't actually have to act!

She opened her cupboards and grabbed a glass, filling it with water and taking a sip. She set it on the counter and went to move away, but paused, looking back at the glass.

The water was starting to shake. Rhythmically; one beat after another. She raised her eyebrows in confusion, but stopped all of a sudden when the printer beeped to say that it was finished.

"Oh no." Rachel took off across her apartment, racing towards the desk. Just as she reached the file folder, the wall where her door was exploded inwards. She screamed as dust and debris flew through the air. She latched onto the file folder and turned to run towards the fire escape.

There was a cacophonous roar and she turned in spite of herself to glance at the doorway, but as soon as she caught sight of what stood in the ruined framework, she froze.

"Mrs. Berry…" The hideous monster of a man smiled broadly, revealing two elongated canine teeth that rested over his bottom lip. "I'm afraid you're going to have to come with me. Dead, or alive." He raised two massive hairy gorilla arms and pressed them together intimidatingly.

"What are you?" She took a faltering step backwards and her eyes flickered to the computer. She spotted the map and her eyes widened. She'd forgotten it! If she left it behind, the Ten would be easy pickings!

As the monster-man feigned offense, she tried to subtly inch her way back towards the printer, putting the couch between the two of them.

"Why, Mrs. Berry! Don't you recognize me? Craig Patterson from R&D! We chatted in the break room a few times!" He snickered.

"_Craig?"_ She raised her eyebrows in shock, momentarily stopping short. "You used to be such a nice guy…" She blinked hard, squinting at him. Under all the hair and muscles and fangs, it was definitely him! What had happened…?

"No!" He roared, punching the wall next to him so hard that it shattered completely and debris went flying into the hallway. "I was weak! A little… _harmless_ science and now… now I'm strong! Now I'm Subject Twenty-Seven!"

"Twenty-seven…" Rachel blinked. "How many people have they tested on?"

'Craig' snickered and shook his head.

"Some never survived the mutations, but I believe that their most recent one… was around ninety."

"Ninety?" Rachel gasped. Her mind was reeling. "Ninety…" If there were eighty other super-charged mutants running amuck in the city, how were ten of them supposed to save the day? How were ten of them supposed to face that? These men and women were doomed right from the start!

But if she could just reach them, they might at least be able to escape. These were good people! They'd never done anything wrong and they'd never asked to be test subjects. They were practically test tube babies and they deserved a life beyond that!

Her eyes flickered up and she locked eyes with Craig, who smiled with malice and took a step towards her. She deliberately looked past him and into the empty hallway, then widened her eyes.

"Help!" She yelled and Craig's eyes widened.

He whipped his head around, raising his arms to strike and Rachel seized her opportunity. She lunged towards the printer and grabbed the map, doubling around and sprinting towards the window.

Craig roared and Rachel screamed, ducking as a chair flew over her head, smashing into the wall. The sliding glass door was almost within her grasp when Craig appeared right in front of her. She screamed and ducked, scrambling under his legs.

He grabbed her by the ankle and lifted her into the air in front of him, pressing his nose against her forehead so their eyes locked.

"Big mistake doctor." He snarled, a deep growling building deep in his threat. He gnashed his teeth at her and she screamed, pulling back and jabbing at his eyes with her fingers. He roared and stumbled backwards, dropping Rachel to the ground.

She lunged forwards and grabbed her papers, taking off towards the door again. She threw it open as Craig roared once again and somebody in the hallway cried out. Rachel risked a glance over her shoulder to find that her neighbors were culminating outside her door.

"Run!" She yelled and Craig turned, throwing his arm through the glass, sending it shattering all over her. She felt one piece cut her deep in the side, but she couldn't stop, not yet.

She started clambering down the ladder as quickly as she could, the blood rushing to her head making her dizzy and blocking out the sound of her pursuer.

The night was cold and the pavement hard against her feet as she took off down the street in her socks. Her sweat made her sweater cling to her skin, but the side of it was starting to stain with her blood as she turned a corner onto the main street. She staggered and turned to look over her shoulder.

Craig was gone.

Rachel slowed to a stop and pulled out the map, looking for the closest location. She had to find somewhere to hide. They would search the hospital first! He knew he'd wounded her! She couldn't go there…

"Two blocks…" She whispered to herself, wincing as she took another step. "Just two more blocks."

* * *

Sam shifted in his sleep, groaning and squeezing his eyes tightly. He was sweating like crazy, his hair plastered to his face. The blankets were simultaneously smothering him, and kicked off in parts. His muscles were tense from a fight that he couldn't even participate in.

"No…" He whimpered. "No! No! No! Stop!"

His head whipped to the side and his arms shot up as he tried in vain to help, but nothing worked. He couldn't get any closer, he couldn't make it stop, he couldn't do anything! Just like the others! Only this one was worse! This one… this one he knew!

The echo of footsteps pounding on the hardwood floors of his apartment sounded and the door burst open. Brittany rushed in, hair pulled back in a ponytail; face a picture of earnest concern.

"Sam!" She yelled, running to his side and dropping onto the bed, grabbing his arms as he dug into the comforter so hard that feathers popped out. "Sam wake up! Sam!"

He tore free from her, scratching her across the face so hard that she hit the ground, but she was on her feet again in an instant. Sam flipped over, pounding his fists against the headboard as sobs began to wrack his body.

The headboard cracked and Brittany backed away, running back out of the room to the kitchen area. She filled a glass with water and ran back in, where Sam was shuddering and bawling into the pillows.

"Sam!" She yelled, throwing the water and drenching him.

For a moment he just froze, and then he slowly came to. He looked up at her as he sat up and pressed a hand to his face. He drew it back and looked at the tears on his hand, first in confusion, and then a look of pure terror crossed his face.

He dove past Brittany, shoving her out of the way as he clambered onto the floor, tripping in the blankets. He grabbed his phone from where it was charging next to the wall and punched in the all too familiar name.

The phone started ringing, and with each ring, Sam felt himself tense up a little more.

"Sam, it's like, really late… people are probably sleeping." Brittany paused. "Who are you calling?"

Sam didn't answer, he just started shaking his head and biting at his nails.

"No, no, no, no… pick up! Pick up!" He cried out. "God fucking damn it! Answer your-"

"Hello?" A groggy voice finally answered.

"Oh thank God!"

"Sam?" Blaine groaned over the phone. "It's like, four in the morning, what's wrong?" He moaned, voice muffled by the pillow that was undoubtedly still pressed against his face.

"It was you!" Sam blurted out, pressing his eyes against his knees as if it could erase the image. "It was _you_!"

Blaine paused and Sam heard the rustling of covers as he sat up.

"…What?"

"The dreams! I had… there was another… it was you! You're the eighth one!" Sam stammered.

There was silence on the other end for a while as Blaine tried to pick his words carefully. Brittany sat on the edge of Sam's bed, looking at him with a mix of fatigue and concern. Whether or not she believed Sam that his dreams meant something, seeing your best friend die wasn't something that she would wish upon anybody!

"Sam, it was just a dream." Blaine said slowly. "I'm right here, and I'm fine. Bryan isn't even here; he went to stay the night at his girlfriend's house. Nobody can hurt me, the door is locked."

"You're alone?" Sam said, startled.

"Yes, but it's fine!" Blaine said quickly, clearly realizing his mistake.

"No it's not! You… no! You're the eighth! It's not just a stupid dream! You all keep saying that but it can't be! I mean, I just-"

"Sam!" Blaine interrupted him. "Here, why don't you just tell me what happened. Talk it out, okay? Is Brittany there?"

Sam looked up through his teary eyes at Brittany who gave him a wan smile.

"Ask her to get you a glass of water, and start from the beginning, alright?"

Sam took a deep breath and tilted the phone back, looking up at his roommate.

"Can you uh…" He cleared his throat. "Can you get me a glass of water?"

Brittany smiled sadly and rose, leaving the room with the glass she still held in her hands.

Sam took a deep breath and Blaine waited patiently on the other end of the phone. Brittany returned shortly after, handing him the glass and sitting back on the bed.

"Okay…" He started.

* * *

_Blaine took a deep breath, wiping the sweat from his brow and doubling over to rest his hands on his knees. He lunged forwards and grabbed his water bottle, tilting it up and guzzling it down._

_ "Alright, that was good you guys!" Blaine's director nodded, clapping her hands together. "Group 2, make sure to keep your hands sharp on the jumps, but other than that it was good! I expect you all to have your harmonies down, if you aren't secure in them, the whole chord sounds shaky!"_

_ Blaine nodded, he'd noticed that too. He'd messed up a bit of harmony in one of the sections, but it hadn't been his fault! He'd thought he'd seen something! Some creepy man sitting in the audience, but he'd disappeared just as quickly as he'd shown up._

_ "So we're done?" One of the other dancers asked and the director nodded. Blaine took a deep breath and grinned, straightening up and tiredly high-fiving his partner; bringing her in for a quick, sweaty hug before letting her go._

_ "Oh, Blaine! Can you stay behind?" The director asked. "I wanted to discuss something with you?"_

_ "Hmm?" Blaine looked up as he wandered over to his gym bag, pulling a towel out of it. "Oh, yeah, sure!" _

_ He waited until the other students had filed out, promising to catch up to some of his friends later on. He turned towards the director, towel still draped around his neck._

_ "What was it that you wanted to talk about?" He smiled._

_ The director turned to face him, putting her hands on her hips._

_ "You're good." She said. "I mean, I wouldn't have given you this solo if I didn't think you could handle it. I'm routing for you, but you've got a lot of competition against the representatives for your final concert."_

_ Blaine sighed and frowned, nodding and running his hand through his hair; a nervous habit of his._

_ "You've got to really give it, and I'm willing to work with you, but some of the other teachers are helping other boys, and you really need something to make you stand out." She reached out and touched his arm. "You're a great dancer, and your ballads are spectacular, but the fact remains that you still don't seem to know who you are, and if you don't, it's hard for us to. Do you know what I mean?"_

_"Sorry to interrupt." Another voice piped up and Blaine turned around, only to be slashed across the face so savagely that he was sent flying to the back of the stage, smashing his head on the wall._

_ The director screamed and bolted, but she needn't have worried. The man prowling towards Blaine wasn't at all interested in her. _

_ "Hello Eight." The man snickered. _

_ He raised his hands and the lights above them exploded, wires flying down towards Blaine. _

_ Blaine's eyes widened and he rolled to the side as quickly as he could, wires stabbing down into the stage so hard that they pierced the floorboards. Unfortunately, Blaine rolled right into the foot of the man before him as he was dropkicked in the stomach._

_ "Fuck!" Blaine gasped, doubling over. He looked up at the trench-coated man with wide, teary eyes. "Why?"_

_ The man reached down and grabbed him by the neck, lifting him into the air and squeezing. Blaine flailed his legs, but before he'd even managed to land a single solid kick, the wires had wrapped around his ankles._

_ The scream that Blaine let out as electricity began to course through his body was un-human, and his vision began to blur._

_ "Because I am better than you." The man smiled a sick, twisted smile. "This city will be ours, and there's nothing any of you can do about it. Not the rogue scientist, not you primal mutants, nobody." _

_ Blaine felt his vision begin to tunnel and everything around him seemed to get darker, like the shadows were crawling in towards him, to devour him, but all Blaine could feel was fear, not for himself, but for-_

* * *

"-and that's where I woke up…" Sam whimpered.

At some point through the story, Brittany had sat down next to him and started rubbing his back. Blaine's breathing was heavy over the phone, like he was lost in thought.

"It's okay!" Brittany assured him. "Blaine's fine, and so is that guy from the coffee shop, and all the others!"

"But what if they're not! I mean, what if that girl went to class today and died?" Sam asked.

"From shadows pulling her into the floor?" Brittany asked dubiously. "You're awesome and everything, but I don't think you can see the future. Also, if shadows were going around killing people, I think I would know about it." She leaned in close to him to whisper. "Lord Tubbington is a superhero…"

"Y-yeah…" Blaine mumbled over the phone. "Listen, Sam, I'll talk to you about this tomorrow, okay? Don't stress about it, in your dream I was at school right? So I'll obviously be fine tonight!"

Sam sighed and nodded.

"You're right…" He said. "Sorry I woke you."

"No, no…it's okay…" Blaine breathed. "I'm glad you told me. I'll be careful, I promise."

Sam nodded, even though he knew Blaine couldn't see it.

"I'm gonna go now, okay?" Blaine asked.

"Okay…" Sam sighed. Now that he'd relived the dream, he was exhausted. He rose to his feet with Brittany's help and let himself flop down onto the bed. "Night."

There was a click as Blaine hung up, and moments later, Sam was asleep.

* * *

Blaine sat staring at the phone for a very long time after he'd hung up, eyebrows creased in worry and running his hand through his hair over and over again.

"There's no way…" He whispered to himself, getting up and jogging over to his desk, flipping open his laptop and squinting in the brilliant light that it emitted. As his eyes adjusted, he signed on to his student email and clicked on the most recent email, from his director…

**To: Blaine D. Anderson**

**From: Tanya R. Peterson**

**Hello Blaine,**

**As I'm sure you're aware, the final concert for the graduating students is coming up fast. We, as professionals and Professors are supposed to come up with several performances that showcase our best performers, in hopes that they will then be picked up by the directors, choreographers and writers from all over the world who have been invited to peruse our crop, so to speak.**

**The number that I have been charged with is an up-tempo Musical Theatre style number, though it can be a Pop Song (possibly one of the ones from your Pop Concert assignment from Third Year). Though I have yet to decide on a song officially, I have decided that I want to show you off, as I believe you have what it takes, just so long as you're given the opportunity, so I am formally congratulating you on headlining this performance.**

**I would also like to speak with you soon enough regarding some changes you may have to make if you hope to continue along this career path. You have a lot working against you, and it will be difficult, but I believe that with my help, we can get you hired.**

**Regards,**

**Professor Peterson**

* * *

_**Okay! So that was Chapter One! If you guys like that length, I'll keep it, if not, I can make it longer by up to three times as much! Just let me know what you think, or if you want me to keep going. The next chapter; Rachel finds one of the Ten, but will they be as willing to help her as she needs them to be, and what happens when the meeting is cut short by a terrifying attack! Meanwhile, Sam makes it his mission to hunt down the people from his dreams, and when Tina Cohen-Chang finds herself the target of his manhunt, she makes it her mission to leave him in the dust at all costs necessary! **_

_**Please, please, please review!**_


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